Like, Legitimately
by AllHailtheCrazyBucket
Summary: Krystal takes care of Delphine after she got shot. Idea from Tumbrl.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Park (ing lots) and neolution

Chapter Text

Delphine had just been shot, by the legend Ethan Duncan* himself and lied on the floor. Considering it was a non-fatal wound, (at least for the time being), it was obvious what would follow – playful distasteful villain banter.

"Doctor Cormier, isn't this extremely sad? The one person who gave everything to save others dying alone?" – He approaches her, but keeps a few steps between them – "And the best part is I don't even need to shoot you again. I could just leave you here, gasping for air, and no one would come. Because no one cares. No even your girlfriend… the one you sacrificed so much for."

Delphine just sat there, barely listening. As it turns out, being shot hurt like hell, making it particularly difficult to focus on anything else. The only word she actually paid attention to was 'girlfriend', and all her thoughts went to Cosima. What a surprise, she thought.

"You see, maybe I'll…" – Suddenly the sound of tires startled her, and when she looked up, she saw Duncan lying on the floor, under a vehicle, followed by a very stressed and high pitched voice.

"Oh my God… Oh my God… Oh my God" – She panicked. "I think I killed him! Oh my God… what do they do to manicures in prison?"

"Kr… Krystal?" Delphine managed to say.

"Doctor! Oh my God, there's so much blood! We need to get you to the hospital!"

"No hospital" -Delphine said between breaths. "They will find me."

"Hum, ok" She kneeled beside her and looked for options. "We need to get out of here. Let me help you out."

After some struggle, Delphine gets in the backseat of the car. Krystal gets in the front and they leave, at a rather rapid speed. Still slightly panicked, Krystal hands Delphine her scarf, so she can put pressure on her wound.

"What are we going to do? You need a doctor!"

"I am a doctor…" She says, barely able to voice the words.

"Well, we need a more conscious Doctor! You were freaking shot!"

"I … I can tell you what to do…" She stops a moment to gather her thoughts. "The bullet went through and through…We just need medication… and a needle."

Driving and swerving like a maniac, Krystal quickly considers where to go.

"I know someone who can help us!"

"Can't trust anyone…" Delphine whispered, while writing a mental note to never get shot again.

"I've known him my whole life. And he's also my guru."

Delphine chose to ignore the guru part – the last thing she needed right now was some kind of holistic healer, and focused on what Krystal said about knowing him her whole life, and how it meant it he was not her monitor, recalling what Nealon said to her days before. She understood how ill advised it was to trust something that man said, but what other option did she have?

"Ok."

The remaining of the ride was a big blur to Delphine. The next thing she remembers is people helping her upstairs and laying down.

"Doctor? Doctor?" Krystal shakes her a bit and the French opens her eyes. "You need to tell us what to do."

She turns and sees a man beside Krystal, wearing a lab coat, and everything goes blank.

"Maybe it's better this way…" The man says.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: No clue

Delphine wakes up after a few moments, alarmed by the sound of a heated conversation.

"Krystal, the woman needs medical attention. We need to take her to the Hospital"

"No! No hospitals!"

"There is only so much I can do here…" He says, running his hand through his hair.

"We are doing ok… with all the things you took from your work… We just need to think positively!" She said, trying to convince herself.

"Krystal, I work at a drugstore. Neither of us has the slightest clue of what to do here!" He sits down. "Who is she anyway?"

"I… I don't know…"

"WHAT?"

Delphine moves and they turn to check on her. She lightly presses her fingers to her wound, which is already bandaged.

"Doctor?" She rushes to her side. "Shh… shhhh… don't move. This is Brian, the guy I told you about." Brian waves. "We were able to stop the bleeding, but you still need to tell us what to do."

Delphine nods.

"You need to clean the wound and stitch me up." Delphine knew it was likely she had a broken rib or something of this sort, taking into account the place of the wound, but given the situation, it was the best they could do. The bullet must have missed major organs; otherwise, she wouldn't be awake after all this time.

Krystal and Brian got a needle and sterilized it. They came back with all the needed material, and turned to Delphine for more instructions. Brian removed the bandage almost passed out at the sight of the wound, turning his head sideways.

"So, Doctor, how do we go about this?" Krystal asks.

"You'll need to sterilize the wound, and then stitch both ends, applying pressure."

"Krystal, do you know how to stitch?" He said, taking a step back.

"I guess…." She turned to Delphine. "You need like, a chain stitch? Or maybe a cross stitch? You now, my grandma taught me this really cool satin stitch that makes it look like…"

Delphine let out a small laugh. She had no idea what kind of stitches the woman was talking about, but she could not help but wonder that, if she survived this, she would probably have a really cute scar.

"Please focus, Krystal!" Brian said, somewhat desperate.

"I just really wanna get this right Brian."

"Cross stitch is fine…" Delphine said, a bit out of breath.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: What is that?

Chapter Text

After all the cleaning and stitching, they gave her medicine for the pain, as directed by Delphine herself, and she rapidly fell asleep. They stood by her side, and Krystal explained to Brian all she had learned that day, about the clones and Project Leda.

"That's pretty fucked up." Brian said.

"I know right?! I mean, anyone could be a spy you know?" She looks at Brian and stops to consider if he could be one of them. Sensing the suspicious looks towards him, Brian retorts.

"Like really? You think I'm one of them?" He laughs. "Do you remember 30 minutes ago, when I almost fainted at the sight of blood?"

"Yeah" She smiles. "You are too much of a wuss to do this…" He playfully smacks her arm. "I wonder how you work at a drugstore."

"People usually don't come bleeding out… they have colds or small bruises… even so I'm responsible for the Shampoo aisle…"

Silence falls between them, and both look at Delphine.

"Do you think she'll make it?"

"I hope so…" He answers. "The only thing I didn't get is how come you were there, in the parking lot, to save her?"

Krystal sighs.

"Like, after learning all that and finally understanding that almost kidnap with that weird scar faced psycho I really needed a cigarette. I know, I know, I quit it, but anyways… So I actually wanted to get out of the building to peacefully smoke, but there were so many stairs and doors I ended up lost at the parking lot… When I was almost finished, a heard something, looked around, and some weird dude talking to her, while she was laying there. I saw an opened car, got it and ran over him."

"Wow. I didn't know you had it in you" He smiled.

The sound of Delphine's voice, who was talking in her sleep, interrupted them.

"Cosima…. Cosima" They turned to face Delphine once more. "Cosima"

They look at each other, confused.

"Cosima? What is that? Is that like a pastry?" Krystal asked Brian.

"I have no idea… but it makes sense, no? She must be hungry…"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 I forgot to add a title

Chapter Text

Delphine woke up the next morning feeling a lot of pain and obviously confused. When she managed to open up her eyes, she saw Krystal.

"Good morning Doc!" Krystal approaches her carrying a tray. "I couldn't find that Cosima you wanted, so I brought you croissants, since you know…" She gave her a warm smile. "And some baguettes. Brian said you eat that." She placed the tray on Delphine's lap, who was now sitting.

Delphine laughed. "Thank you."

"No worries. How are you feeling?"

"I've been better… but can't complain really." She started to eat, realizing only after the first bite how hungry she was.

"Call me if you need anything, Doc."

"It's Delphine."

"What?"

"My name is Delphine." She smiles at Krystal.

"Oh…Ok then Delphine!" Krystal smiles back.

After eating and checking all the bandages, Krystal sits on a chair on Delphine's bedside, and grabs a few magazines.

"So, I didn't really know what you read, but then I thought, like, who does not want to know about fashion, you know? And you are always dressed so nicely, I could only assume you were into it too."

She handles a fashion magazine to Delphine, who could not help but feel grateful for such a caring individual next to her, although at the same time she feeling bad for Krystal, who just got dragged to the downward spiral of DYAD, Topside, Neolution.

"You must still have a lot of questions about all this…" Delphine utters.

"You have no idea. I mean, it's all pretty crazy you know?" Delphine nods. "But I guess I can wait a little longer to ask them. Just wait until you are all better." She smiles. "I didn't know any of this my whole life; a couple more days won't make a difference."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: It's complicated

After reading an article, defending how orange is apparently the new black Delphine set the magazine at the nightstand, and saw her purse. She managed to grab it and reached for her phone. For some reason beyond herself, she still had battery, and three voicemails. Who leaves messages nowadays? Figuring that there wasn't much she could do, she decides to listen.

"Delphine? It's me… Cosima… I know you basically just left but…I just felt a weird vibe and needed to hear your voice you know? I know it sounds silly… just hit me up when you get this, ok?"

She pressed to hear the next message.

"Uh… it's me again… I still haven't heard from you… and I've been thinking you know? And I mean as much as I try… as we try actually… to run from all this, I feel like you're it you know? Like 'it' 'it', you feel me? … Can we talk please? I miss you"

Delphine's eyes watered. As if everything she'd been through finally had meaning. She remembered the kiss they shared the night before. Still smiling, she saved this message and pressed to her the last one. It was Cosima again.

"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU? When I finally think you give a shit you go and talk to Shay? As if this was some grand gesture? ONCE AGAIN you didn't give me the right to choose Delphine. I don't fucking care if you think we match or whatever you told her. Its not about what YOU think. Its about what I want. You don't get to decide that. This is fucking ridiculous"

There it was. It was going way to smoothly anyways. She turns off the screen as Krystal enters.

"Oh. How silly of me. I've never even asked… do you need to call someone?" She sits.

"Oh, no, not really." She says, sadly.

Krystal doesn't insist, feeling that the topic is a bit sensitive, and opts to change the subject.

"So… have you met any other clone? They're like, exactly like me?" She looks at Delphine, very attentive.

"Actually I've met a few… and although you are all genetic identicals, you are so different, you know?"

Krystal nods, and Delphine continues.

"I mean, there's Sarah, who's strong and driven, and despite her punk rock exterior you can tell she cares a lot…. There's Allison, she's a soccer mom, and looks so fragile, but she is… how do you say?" She stops to think. "Badass. Yes. She's very badass." She smiles. "There's Helena… who happens to be a too gentle spirit for this world… Rachel, who is kind of a bitch, but very goal oriented nonetheless… and there's Cosima…" Her voice trails off.

"Wait, Cosima? That's a name?"

"Yes, why?"

"You were calling for her, during your sleep. We just thought it was something to eat"

Delphine blushes.

"You like her don't you?"

She nods.

"You really don't want me to call her? I mean, if my girlfriend was shot and missing I'd like to know, you know?"

"It's complicated."

"Once I read, I think it was Buddha or whatever, that things are only as complicated as we make them". She offered a smile, touching Delphine's arm.

Before Delphine is able to come up with an answer, Brian enters.

"Dude, you all gotta see this!" He turns the TV on. "You are on tv!"

Merde. That's all Delphine could think. The reporter is going on and on about how the interim director of DYAD was missing and the unfolding of a conspiracy she named as new wave eugenics. Almost instantly, her phone rings. It was Cosima.

Krystal sees the name on the screen. "You should answer. She must be worried."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Bigger person

Chapter Text

After the fifth call, Delphine brings herself to answer. She really didn't want to talk to Cosima specially after the last voicemail the woman left, but Krystal was right. She remembered how terrifying it was when she was sent to Frankfurt and had no news of Cosima.

"Allo?"

"Oh my God, Delphine! You are alive!" She sobs. "When I got there to see you I saw the blood in the car and I thought… I thought…" She couldn't bring herself to say those words. "And you wasn't answering your phone, and to think I was mad at you for such an idiotic thing, I mean I can literally…"

"Calm down" Delphine cut her off. "I'm ok."

"Where are you? Do you need me to come get you? Please talk to me."

"There's no need. I'm being taken care of."

"By whom?" Cosima says, in a slightly jealous tone.

"Look, Cosima, I get it. You like Shay, and that's ok. There is no need to worry about me. I did what I did out of my own volition, no need to feel like you owe me something. And I know sometimes you get confused, but all I really want is for you to be happy. Even if it is without me. So I'm letting you go, as you asked. I'll probably have to run anytime now, so… I… I wish you all the happiness in the world, ok? Au revoir, mon Amour".

"Delphine? Delphine I…"

Before Cosima could answer, Delphine hangs up, and turns her phone off.

"Are you okay?" Krystal asks.

"Yeah. Like I said, it's complicated." She wipes a few tears.

"Hum… ok." She gets closer to Delphine. "Sooooo….how do you feel about thai food?"

Delphine smiles. They spend the afternoon eating thai, talking, checking bandages, making fun of Brian and eating more thai. They even play a few card games, and honestly, Delphine could not remember how long it's been since she felt so worriless. Getting off the grid, even if just for a day felt incredible.

The night came and once again, Delphine was restless in her sleep, ever so often calling for Cosima.

"Do you think we should call her?"

"What? Cosima? No way Krystal. Let them figure it out by themselves."

"I was just thinking, you know? Even though you can't crush the human spirit, sometimes you need a little push." She grabs his arm. "And maybe that's our part here. There's no way she will get better like that. She needs peace."

"You're calling this Cosima woman anyway, aren't you?" She lets out a sly smile. "I don't really know why you asked me then."

"If you were in her position, wouldn't you want the person you love by our side?"

"I don't know… she could be a serial killer! We know nothing about her…"

"That didn't stop us from helping Delphine…"

"Yeah, cause she can't move for shit! If she goes all Neanderthal on us we can escape."

"I hardly think that's her M.O. She looks more like a strategist to me."

"You are very weird. Could we please change the subject?"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Will this ever end? I don't think so

The next day they learn that the police is investigating Neolution, and that Interpol was been on their tail for a few years now, and while facing all these problems it was unlikely they would waste their time looking for Delphine.

"Krystal…"

"Yes!"

"I don't know why are you doing all this for me, but I'm really grateful."

"Awwwn. No need to honey. In a world so full of hate, how much does it really cost to help a sister out you know?" She smiles. It fascinates Delphine how giving this woman is. "So, what are you up for today?"

"Up for nothing really, since I can barely go to the bathroom without excruciating pain." Delphine giggles.

"You are making a joke! Cute! That's the spirit!" She takes Delphine's hand. "Oh my God, look at these nails. Nuh-huh"

Delphine spaces out for a bit and her eyes water again. With everything that was happening, she never felt more lost. Krystal sees this and sighs.

"Delphine, I really don't know what happened for you to be so sad, but it doesn't really matter because we are gonna fix this! No one with that face and that hair is allowed to be sad! E-v-e-r"

When Brian comes in, Delphine is giggling. She has a flower in her hair, make up on, there's an upbeat music playing and Krystal is trying to take a selfie of both of them.

"Come on, you can do better than that! Smile woman!" They continue to take pictures.

"Wow, I like this vibe!" He starts dancing, terribly bad.

After lots of selfies making all kinds of faces, they settle down a bit, deciding to play Guess Who. As it turns out, Delphine is rather ignorant towards pop culture, and no one she picked the other two could guess to save their lives ("What? Tesla? The car? Dude, its guess who, not guess what…") and the ones Brian and Krystal chose, Delphine had no idea who it was, just guessing Britney Spears every time.

"Guys, I have just the thing to chill out right now!" Brian grabs his bag pack, and takes a joint out of one pocket.

"You brought pot?" Krystal asks incredulously.

"Yeah, you know me. I work at a drugstore to feed the capitalist monster, but I'm all about natural medicine…" He lights it up, and as soon as Delphine smells it, she breaks down crying.

"Oh, no honey… don't cry…" She gets beside Delphine, gently comforting her.

"That was by far the quickest buzz I've ever seen…" Brian voices.

"Are you against drugs or something? We can respect that…"

"No, no, it's not it… it just reminds me of Cosima… and I guess I'm over sensitive right now." Delphine knew that this unstable mood was much likely due to holding everything inside for so long, but she recognized she must seem weird to them.

"Oh, it's ok… let's do something else, shall we?"

"You know what we should do? Cook something!"

"Brian, you've already got the munchies?"

"Nope, but it's bound to happen anyways."

"Do you really wanna try and cook again? Remember last time? Although the firefighter was absolutely handsome, I don't want to meet him again in similar circumstances…"

"I can cook" Delphine offers.

They look at her, amused.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Les œufs

Chapter Text

It was somewhat of a challenge to bring Delphine to the kitchen, but she was excited to leave the room, in spite of the pain. They settled on making an apple pie, with Delphine coordinating while they did the hard work. She could clearly see how these two needed firefighters after cooking. Even with her guidance, they were terrible, and in no time, they started to throw flour at each other, inevitably hitting Delphine in the process. When that happened, they just immediately stood still, looking at her, waiting for her reaction.

Delphine kept a straight face, looking serious and rather pissed, and quickly took two eggs and threw on them.

"Oh man, it's ON!" Brian declared, while getting a fistful of flour.

"That was a cheap shot, Delphine! I have egg all over my hair!" Krystal added, trying to get the egg remnants off her head.

After Brian dispensed the flour on Delphine, who could barely dodge to defend herself. Krystal proceeded and broke an egg right above her head. When they looked at each other, laughter ensues. Then it hits Delphine that a couple of days after being shot, instead of resting and taking it easy, she is more than happy to be spending time with friends, although her wound hurts like a bitch when she laughs. 'Friends' she thinks to herself. It was such a foreign notion to her, even more so recently. However, there she was, hurting a lot more than necessary because she can't stop laughing, and in some weird sense it felt good. For a brief moment, she considers how much Cosima would enjoy herself here.

After a few minutes, they manage to stop.

"Well, I guess we all need a shower now…"

"No doubt" Brian added.

"I will most definitely need help to do that." Delphine said, trying very slowly to get up.

"That's what I'm here for!" Krystal spoke.

Later, when everyone smelled a lot less eggy, they ordered food, and not long after Delphine fell asleep, comprehensibly exhausted after such day. Krystal and Brian were in the living room half watching a TV show. Suddenly, Krystal took a phone out of her pocket. Brian recognized it as Delphine's phone.

"Are you really gonna call her?"

"I guess so. I don't want to keep seeing her so miserable"

"You don't know what happened. Maybe she has every right to be miserable." He looked straight into her eyes, and started to whisper. "I mean, did you see how she reacted to pot? And said it reminded her of this Cosima? Maybe Cosima is a drug dealer, and they were caught in a gang thing you know? Like Romeo and Juliet, but like, in Washington Heights and with two Juliets"

"First, we are in Toronto, not New York. Second, I really think you should write a book. Could be therapeutic you know? To release all that imagination." He nods. "Argh.. I'm gonna do it. I'm sure it would make her happy." She looks at him. "Right?"

"You're the boss!" Brian says, gesticulating.

Krystal turns the phone on, and calls Cosima.

Notes:

I know nothing about drug dealing in the us... the info I got was from the internet, as follows: . :)

Nothing against Washington Heights though... if you live there feel free to invite me to visit. :)


End file.
